a virtual workroom where ideas, trends, projects and much more are shared to help inspire and keep you current on interior design direction.

Category: Environment

We all heard the good ‘ole phrase, “they just don’t make it like they used to”… well in the design world this holds very true. That muted old plaid wool itchy sofa in your great grandmothers living room or that walnut chiseled dining room table that’s been passed down through generations has greater benefits than just standing the test of time ,as we all thought, they actually have a longer fire rating time.

Due to the advancements in technology, we can now compound such fabrics as nylon, viscose, polyester etc. which not only are in a majority of our furniture, fabrics, carpet and decor but they pose a threat if a fire were to ever catch in your home.

Research shows that 30 years ago, you had about about 17 minutes to escape a house fire, today it’s down to 3 or 4 minutes. It’s never something that crossed my mind, but now with a family of my own, it’s something to very seriously take in consideration.

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We have all heard the coined term “going green” referring to minimizing our carbon footprint, using a certain percentage of recycled material in our products, devoting to LEED programs and so on and so on…

But what about an obvious “actually going green” approach. I frequently voice my devoted fondness for incorporating live and lush plant life into any interior space and the benefits, but this newest trend takes that idea in a whole different direction… literally!

For years we’ve seen the potted houseplants, the interior gardens in lobbies and more recently garden green rooftops speckling our sky scrappers. With keeping in the same concept, new innovators have put a different spin on how to incorporate your lovely greens into a space using a new creative objective in mind… adding a living piece of art!

Take a look at some of these interior vertical gardens

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With spring upon us, everyone is dusting off their gardening tools and making plans to renovate their outdoor spaces. With all the flower, mulch, shrubbery, lawn ornamnet options, sometimes it can be overwhelming and overboard.

Sometimes a big but subtle change can make all the difference you need to spruce up your yard. Laid brick or stone patios with just the slightest moss laid in the cracks has become the preferred choice for many home owners and not just for it’s romantically rustic look but because it has a lot advantages…

-Moss has no roots, so it grows well in shallow narrow places such as between laid patio bricks

-Because lack of roots, it will not upheave and crack your laid bricks/stone as tree or plants roots would to concrete

-Easy to plant and transplant. You can literally pick it off of a rock/tree and lay it between patio bricks and it will re-attach and grow on its own.

-Easily maintained, you can run a weed wacker over it to trim and it will not die.

-Grows well in damp shady weather, so if in dry mild climate be sure to water ever so often to prevent from drying out.

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Redecorating ? Instead of going in and out of retail stores or sitting behind a computer screen searching endless webpages for accessories, lighting or art… try looking at your local estate
sales. I’ve found that spending time outside and weaving in between the upscale and fabulous neighborhoods of your city is a much better way to spend your day shopping. You honestly come across items that you were never intentionally looking for in the first place that just grab you somehow and knowing it has a story in itself is pretty cool.

I’ve used the website http://www.estatesales.net/ an endless number of times and is my go to place to locate estate sales near me. I grab my shoulder bag, cash (most don’t take cc) and my drink to go and set off to find treasures that I could never find at a Target.

Previously owned goods may not be your thing, but just the experience in itself is worth a day of discovering.

Happy treasure hunting!

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If you are a plant lover like me, then you understand that bringing in a little nature indoors not only brightens and livens up your space it also has air purifying qualities. There are many benefits for adding a little green in your life, but if you have pets and kids you may want to make sure you are not incorporating toxic plants (if ingested) in their environments. Here are the top non-toxic plants that are safe and have great eye appeal. Find a complete list of both toxic and non-toxic kid/pet plants here… http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

1. Boston Fern

2. Bamboo

3. Cast Iron Plant

4. Money Tree

5. Ponytail Palm

6. prayer plant

7. Succulents

8. Yucca Plant

9. Spider Plant

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Thinking about putting in new wood floors… here’s an option to mull over. Using reclaimed wood for your flooring not only does your part for helping avoid carbon footprinting and being green but it is such a story to tell your guests that your floors are old timber from an 1870’s barn that was just dismantled.

There are various orgins of this material, including deconstruction, urban timber, fire kill, standing dead and barn wood, these products are from actual deconstruction and demolition of buildings. After the deconstruction phase the wood is brought back to milling facilities where it is graded, denailed, and, in some cases, milled… all in preparation to sell the finished product.

You can find any reclaimed wood mill in your area just by googling and doing a little research. Most places offer Douglas Fir, Pine, White Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak, Maple, Elm, Eucalyptus, etc. The reclaimed wood products are 100% recycled content and provide chain of custody statements for LEED certification if it applies to your project.